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Wabash & Erie Canal

I-69 crosses the route of the Wabash & Erie Canal three times, most noticeably to the east of the Patoka bridge, running along a retention pond. This audio tour presents the “Wabash & Erie Canal,” one of a series of vignettes that recounts the history of the land crossed by I-69 between I-64 and Bloomington, Indiana. Choose one or all of the vignettes to learn about the cultural and natural landscape along I-69.

Maurice Thompson provides a first person account of the Wabash and Erie Canal and a map provides locational information. The following narrative discloses the names of towns and interchanges where these historic activities have occurred along our route.

Observe the following landmarks and communities: Odon, Washington, Petersburg, Oakland City, Patoka River, and Patoka Wildlife Refuge.

“The canal boat was a long, low, narrow structure built for carrying both passengers and freight. Its cabin and sleeping berths were of the most primitive description, ill-ventilated and dimly lighted . . . It was drawn by one or two horses hitched to a long rope attached to the bow of the boat. The horses walked on a path, called the towpath, at the side of the canal, and were driven by a man or boy, who sometimes rode, sometimes walked. The boat […] crept along like a great lazy turtle on the still water. Surely there never was a sleepier mode of travel.”
—Maurice Thompson, Stories of Indiana, 1898

Wabash & Erie Canal Path And Remnants

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